Sensor applicator assembly for continuous glucose monitoring system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sensor applicator assembly for a continuous glucose monitoring system and provides a sensor applicator assembly for a continuous glucose monitoring system, which is manufactured with a sensor module assembled inside an applicator, thereby minimizing additional work by a user for attaching the sensor module to the body and allowing the sensor module to be attached to the body simply by operating the applicator, and thus can be used more conveniently. A battery is built in the sensor module and a separate transmitter is connected to the sensor module so as to receive power supply from the sensor module and be continuously used semi-permanently, thereby making the assembly economical. The sensor module and the applicator are used as disposables, thereby allowing accurate and safe use and convenient maintenance.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sensor applicator assembly comprising:
 a sensor module configured to be attached to a skin of an user for blood glucose measurement; and
 an applicator configured to eject the sensor module onto the skin; 
 wherein the sensor module is coupled to at least a portion of the applicator when the sensor module is at a first position, is configured to be moved along a first direction from the first position to a second position, and is on the skin when the sensor module is at the second position, 
 wherein the applicator comprises:
 an external container, at least a portion of the external container extending in the first direction; 
 a cover container including (i) an upper cover member extending in a second direction different from the first direction and (ii) a lower cover member extending in the first direction, at least a portion of the cover container disposed inside the external container; and 
 a plunger body configured to move the sensor module from the first position to the second position, at least a portion of the plunger body disposed inside the external container when the sensor module is disposed in the first position, 
 
 wherein the lower cover member includes a contact area facing the plunger body, 
 wherein, when the sensor module is disposed in the first position, the lower cover member contacts the plunger body at the contact area, and 
 wherein when the sensor module is disposed in the second position, the lower cover member does not contact the plunger body at the contact area. 
   
     
     
         2 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the lower cover member and the plunger body are elastically supported relative to each other when the sensor module is disposed in the first position. 
     
     
         3 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the contact area and the plunger body are adjacent each other along the first direction when the sensor module is disposed in the second position. 
     
     
         4 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the plunger body and the upper cover member are spaced apart from each other in the first direction when the sensor module is disposed in the second position. 
     
     
         5 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the lower cover member is integral with the upper cover member to extend from the upper cover member in the first direction. 
     
     
         6 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the lower cover member overlaps with the external container in an overlap area along the second direction, the overlap area including the contact area. 
     
     
         7 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the overlap area overlaps with the lower cover member and the plunger body in the second direction when the sensor module is in the first position. 
     
     
         8 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the lower cover member is between the external container and the plunger body along the second direction when the sensor module is disposed in the first position. 
     
     
         9 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 1 , wherein positions of the upper cover member and the lower cover member in the first direction are maintained when the sensor module is moved from the first position to the second position. 
     
     
         10 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the cover container and the external container are separately provided from each other. 
     
     
         11 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the lower cover member is spaced apart from an inner surface of the external container in the second direction. 
     
     
         12 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the plunger body moves from the first position to the second position relative to the upper cover member. 
     
     
         13 . The sensor applicator assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a distance between an upper portion of the plunger body and the upper cover member is greater than when the plunger body is in the second position than when the plunger body is in the first position.